New book

Hurstpierpoint-based Stephanie Berriman is offering her new book as a “companion almost for those who are struggling with their mental health.”

Only the Shadows Know is self-published at £10.99 and available on Amazon and Etsy.

Stephanie, aged 39, said the book was “for those who are lying awake at night fighting their demons, who have nowhere to put their pain and are unable to make sense of it.

“Using poetry and charcoal drawings, this book moves from deep pain and trauma to a glimmer of hope. It uses my pain, my experience, my struggles to reach out and connect to others to say ‘I know what you are feeling as much as I possibly can and you are not alone. You can get through it.’

“This book took years to come into fruition. In fact, I didn’t even know I was writing it because I was just writing and I had no idea I would get the courage to actually publish it. That was never the end goal. But I am so pleased it is!

“I have been doing everything myself such as editing. All the drawings are mine. I have been learning formatting, bleeds, margin, gutters, and I have enjoyed every moment! I have also learnt marketing and figuring out how to distribute it. It’s a lot but if it helps just one person, it will be worth it.

“I think it will appeal to people because so many of us have mental health struggles or you know someone who has. This book is not making promises of transformation or healing but instead it sits with the reader in their pain. To hold it. To put words and images to emotions that the reader may not be able to do themselves. This book was born from my experience, but it is no longer about me, but about the readers.

“What is special about this book are all the little details such as the theme of an opening door. The front cover has a door slightly ajar with the light just about reaching the figure. Then each page has a little drawn door which opens slowly as you move through the book until it’s almost open. The final page is then a fully open door for the reader to metaphorically step through.

“The book is real, it’s honest and it’s raw. It doesn’t shy away and it doesn’t sugarcoat. Every tiny thing about this book has been carefully thought out and chosen, and I think that’s why this book is special.”

Stephanie said: “I have always loved writing but never felt I was any good. The same with art but during my darkest days, I wrote a lot of poetry to help me get my feelings out onto paper. To help me make sense of them, a way to express what I was going through.

“I am a very visual writer so creating images with words in the form of poetry came naturally to me. I think part of why it is natural to me is because I don’t like to follow the rules of writing.

“I find them stifling and by removing those rules, it allows a sense of freedom in writing instead of putting my creativity in a box. Removing the limitations of creating is something I am passionate about and hope to help people with this in future. Of course, no judgement on those who work within the rules. This is just personal to me. I still have memories of English classes of how writing should be, and I just ask myself why. Why should it be that way? What if I try it like this instead?

“I encourage every creative to ask themselves these types of questions because you never know what you might create when you remove the limitations.

“I also turned to art during this dark time, reigniting my love for it. In fact, it was instrumental in helping me through. It meant I could express how I was feeling rather than try to keep it in.

“I have since connected to art in a way I had never done before, using it as self-expression and foregoing the idea of whether it’s good or bad and to create for myself. I also encourage people to remove the limitations in art too. Expression does not require rules. There are no rules in emotion. Let them speak out of you and onto a page in whatever form you like!

“I am now on the other side of this incredibly challenging period that I went through and I decided to put the poetry and drawings together and make my lifelong dream come true of putting it into a collection to publish.”

Stephanie is holding a book launch on August 9 at The Talbot in Cuckfield: “It’s a drop-in event from 1pm to 3pm. When you arrive, you will walk your way through the book. The original artwork will be framed and you will journey through them. The book will be on sale with a special discount for the launch along with prints of the images inside the book. There will be tea and cake, as well readings and I will happily sign your copy! Everyone is invited and it would be wonderful to see people there!”